


Dream Catcher

by YumeNouveau



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: AU, Auror Remus, Bathtub Sex, But no sex until they are adults, Childhood Friends, Colonial Americas, Consensual, Drinking, Frottage, Hand Jobs, M/M, Mystery, Oral Sex, RS Fireside Tales, Roanoke AU, Spiders, Traveler Sirius, Underage Kissing, creepy dreams, dark tunnels, ghost child
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-06
Updated: 2020-03-06
Packaged: 2021-02-28 19:33:42
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 18,266
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23032519
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/YumeNouveau/pseuds/YumeNouveau
Summary: When a muggle settlement in the New World completely disappears, the Ministry dispatches its finest Auror, Remus Lupin, to look into the matter.  But of course nothing is as easy as he'd hope, especially when Remus runs across his old childhood fling Sirius Black, who disappeared ten years ago on graduation night never to be heard from again.  Together they must learn to trust one another and unravel the mystery of what befell the previous settlers before it claims them as well.This fic is based on the mysterious disappearance of the Roanoke Colony in August, 1587 from an island off present day North Carolina on the east coast of North America.  Some characters are based on actual people, such as Mayor Sir Walter Raleigh, his granddaughter Virginia, and Croatoan leader Pemisapan.  Also there actually were the letters "CRO" carved into a post, one of the few clues to the settler's fate.
Relationships: Sirius Black/Remus Lupin
Comments: 23
Kudos: 98
Collections: RS Fireside Tales Vol.2





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I want to give a huge thank you to the amazing Mods who put this together, Fireside is my favorite fest by far and it's not only due to the incredible works that fill it, but their hard work and dedication to quality (and our favorite boys). Thank you for being patient as I dealt with LIFE and allowing me to take my time to be creative once again. You are amazing.
> 
> Also shout out to my incredible beta, KattLupin, who not only left me the sweetest and most amazing notes, dealt with my fear of commas, but did all this work while jet-lagged after vacation. I owe you big time!
> 
> Prompt:

If there was one thing Remus Lupin knew for certain about muggles, it was that they always found a way to blame magic for the unexplained. Goats were mysteriously dying on a farm? Must be el Chubacabra. A man goes missing in a dense wood? Obviously a Huldra. Little Timmy can’t find his other stocking? Can’t be anything other than Leprechauns. And apparently when one hundred and fifteen British citizens setting out to the “new world” disappear on a small island, wizards must have vanished them from thin air.

With a sharp gasp, Remus flung out his arms and caught his balance before falling face first upon the dilapidated dock he had suddenly apparated upon. Precarious was a word much too kind and a dramatic understatement for such a shamble of logs only just keeping him from descending into the icy waters below. Once he’d found his footing, Remus sighed, straightened his jacket, and cast a charm over his shoulder that would fool any muggle into believing a ship was sailing away into the distance after dropping him unceremoniously off on this strange spot of land on the western edge of the Atlantic. His own personal luggage was light yet he’d also brought enough supplies in crates and barrels to incur less questions than if he’d arrived with only a suitcase, popping out of thin air, using the very magic muggles so feared and only believed in when necessary.

Luckily, he was not to be entirely stranded in this muggle colony. Before he’d left the Ministry, the head Auror had briefed Remus on the situation, revealing that, irregular as it sounded, a fellow wizard had been aboard the sailing vessel that had docked to find the colonists missing two weeks back. By the most secure means available, that wizard had sent a message to the Ministry about the missing colonists, who then informed the British government, who then returned blame back on the very wizards who had alerted them. It was highly infuriating, but that was why Remus was here, to be the one to untangle this sticky web and prove to both his governing body, and that of the muggles, that wizards were not to blame for this incident.

His first order of business was to find this stray wizard who had sailed from the motherland and get a first hand account. Leaving the supplies on the precarious dock, Remus hoisted his luggage—charmed of course to contain much more than appeared—and set off in the direction of a worn dirt path that was only slightly mucky from a recent rainfall. He took a deep breath and allowed himself a small smile. Fresh air was not something he took for granted outside London, and he’d appreciate every moment he was so spirited away. Crisp fall leaves, damp with dew, still clung to the trees, bright points in the misty morning that made the strange island seem surreal and otherworldly even for a man of magic.

Despite the early hour, Remus soon heard the hustle and bustle of men before he was even able to see the town ahead. Strange how voices carried over the fog but sometimes one couldn’t discern the words of a man standing at his very shoulder. But the sounds of a growing city could be heard: timber being hammered into place, animals braying, the clang of a blacksmith hammer, the yell of a woman scolding a child to not leave the house without their shoes. Again.

The fog parted before Remus to reveal a small town center, spoked like a wheel, its circumference ringed with buildings either in dire need of or currently undergoing repairs. A group of men and women were pulling and pushing at newly hewed beams in a coordinated effort to resurrect some half dead beast of a building which seemed to be missing an entire side and all its roofing. He stepped closer, out of place in his tan linen jacket and trousers, his neat golden hair tied in a que at his nape, shoes only a bit muddied from the road. The men wore no jackets and the women had hoisted their skirts, lifting and placing and securing the timber that would build their future homes. With a wave of his hand Remus could make this hard work but a memory, yet secrecy was the name of the game and he dared not reveal himself for what he was. Instead he surveyed, marveled at the ingenuity and will of these people able to build something out of nothing with only their bare hands. He wondered if the other wizard was asleep in a comfortable bed while the muggles rebuilt their ghosttown, too softened by magic to lift a finger much less a wand.

Then a boisterous laugh rang out and Remus’ breath stilled, realizing his assumption was far from the case. He turned his head in the direction of a sound that was familiar and yet so distant in his past that Remus’ heart hurt remembering. A dark head of hair, as wild and free from restraint as the man himself, fell over features Remus was convinced had been chiseled by the very same artisans who deified the greek gods. Eyes like shards of icy seaglass, somehow both piercing in their gaze and warm where they turned up at the corners— and Remus knew from experience that when he smiled the man made you feel like you were the only person in his entire world. Of course Remus should have known the other wizard would be Sirius Black.

The man seemed to catch sight of Remus just as he was recognized, shock, delight then a sudden wariness flitting over his features before he alighted from his perch atop a beam, jumping down like a leith cat and striding toward Remus with a quickened step. Remus attempted to straighten his shoulders, all business, as informal as possible. But then Sirius pulled him into a handshake that transformed into a hug and he practically melted into the man’s arms.

“Remus! I never expected them to send you. How grand!” Sirius was emphatically beaming.

“I...yes hello, Sirius. It’s been... awhile.” Ten years, five months...and Remus attempted not to count the days.

“So it has. But the years have treated you well. A Ministry man I take it?” he whispered the last bit into Remus’ ear in a way that caused Remus to swallow hard.

“Yes.”

“It seems to agree with you.”

Remus attempted not to take it as any compliment other than a social nicety. If Sirius was looking at him in any other way than friendship...well he had no time for that. Especially now.

“Thank you. Do you have time to brief me on the situation here?”

“All business I see?” Sirius replied, and Remus furrowed his brow at the slight hurt he saw in the man’s eyes. “But of course. Did the Ministry send the supplies I requested as well?”

“They’re back on the dock. Couldn’t exactly levitate them down here, could I?”

“I never question your capability,” Sirius answered. “Though you are as always, the more sensible one. Adam?” Sirius yelled at another man hard at work. “Supplies have arrived. Could you see who’s available to fetch a cart for them? I’m off to show our newest citizen around.”

“Of course, Mr. Black,” the man answered and began yelling orders as Sirius put a hand to Remus’ lower back and led him away from the construction. Remus pretended it wasn’t the current bright spot in this dreary world.

“Damn if it isn’t good to see you Remus. Safe trip?” Sirius asked as they walked out of earshot of the muggles.

“I’m sure a lot less precarious than yours. You actually journeyed by boat when you could very well have apparated here?” Remus asked sceptically.

“Well, appearing out of thin air wouldn’t boost my morale in quite the same way as bonding with my fellow men over weeks aboard a tight vessel. Had a cabin to myself though, quite comfortable I might add.”

“I’ll bet it was, once you had magicked it your own way. No doubt you apparated yourself all the creature comforts of home?”

“Of course, and with every precaution. Why, if you ask anyone who saw my cabin, they’d swear it was as bare as any soldier’s barrick.”

“No doubt,” Remus said, chuckling. Sirius never did well without sleeping upon the softest mattress and having at least three pillows at his disposal, even back at Hogwarts. It was odd how much time had passed and yet they conversed as if it had only been yesterday they’d last seen one another.

They walked from the town center, passing by row upon row of white elms, their trunks almost at one with the fog, until they reached a small cabin tucked into a hillside. It seemed sound, more so than the structures in the city center which had succumbed to the elements while this gem had lay hidden from the wind and storms within the grove.

“Why don’t you step into my office,” Sirius joked, placing his palm firmly upon the door frame before muttering a word, releasing whatever protection charm he had cast upon this dwelling. When he pulled at the latch Remus stepped inside to an interior that far outshone the facade. It was spacious indeed, a large living room furnished in plush rugs, bookshelves and oversized chairs, a fireplace, and a doorway which peered into a bedroom.

Remus shook his head and smiled as Sirius pulled the door closed behind him and indicated a chair. “Have a seat, you must be weary from your travels.”

“Still sarcastic as ever,” Remus said, holding back a snort.

“Some things never change,” Sirius said, flopping down on a chair near the hearth, boneless as a fainting maiden.

“Really? Seems you’ve changed quite a lot,” Remus said.

“For the better I hope.”

“Sirius...I...I haven’t seen you in over ten years. And, nice as this is, you left. Vanished without a word, or even an owl to any of us. While I’m glad to see you whole and hearty, I must tell you I’m a bit in shock.” As much as he wanted to, Remus could not simply pretend they’d been anything but ghosts to one another over the past decade. This was all so much, and wonderful as this reunion was, he felt he deserved answers.

“I do tend to have that effect upon…”

“Sirius, please. Jokes aside, for just a moment. How...how are you?”

The question seemed to snap Sirius out of his current use of humor as a shield. He scratched the back of his neck a bit sheepishly and looked to the floor. “I...I’m better now. Than I was. Remus, I wish I could have done things differently. Looking back, I know there were better ways of dealing with it…”

“Dealing with what? Sirius you never told me. Or even James. I thought we were, I don’t know, close? And then you were just...gone.” Remus clenched his jaw at the last part, holding back a bit of anger as well as the sadness he’d felt these past years at the loss. Sirius had been his everything. His best friend, his confidant. His...Remus didn’t think the term ‘lover’ was quite appropriate, but they’d been one another’s first kiss, first confused groping in a stuffy cupboard, hell even Remus’ first time with his mouth around another man’s cock. And then Sirius had left the night of graduation, right when Remus wondered if they could be more, if adulthood with Sirius could transform to a future of some kind with them as an ‘us’ instead of just ‘Remus’ and ‘Sirius.’

“I never meant to hurt you,” Sirius said softly, picking at a thumbnail.

“Why didn’t you at least owl? Sirius, you could have told me anything and I still would have loved…” Remus caught himself, “to know what was going on. Hell, you could have told me you were a werewolf and I wouldn’t have cared.”

Sirius let out a sad laugh and finally looked up at the man beside him. “I realize that now. At the time… well. It was not so easy. And then the years passed, and it grew harder and harder to try to explain.” The pain that filled those icy eyes traveled straight to Remus’ heart. Whatever Sirius had endured, he’d not felt he could share it with even his closest companions. The anger Remus held dissipated and was replaced with only the simple wish that he could help carry this burden Sirius had been shouldering for far too long.

“What, Sirius please,” Remus leaned forward in his chair and took Sirius’ hand in his. Still soft despite the labor he had done, still the same hands he remembered holding under a desk during transfiguration class as he forgot to pay attention to anything other than the beautiful person who clutched his fingers in his own.

“My parents forced me to marry.”

“What?” Remus had not expected this.

“To Bella.”

“Your cousin? Sirius, no!”

“It’s done. I had to, immediately after graduation. They said they’d disinherit me. When I said I didn’t care, they told me they’d see to it that everyone I knew would be ruined. You, Pete, James, Lily. They said you’d never find jobs, get married, your families would fall into financial ruin. My parents were so powerful, so connected. I truly believed they would. So I married her. And then the moment the vows were said and I realized what I’d done, I knew my life was over and I just...I couldn’t do it Remus. So I vanished.”

“Sirius.”

“I did it to protect all of you. If I came back, if I contacted any of you, I knew they’d find out. So I left, first for Naples, then Bosnia, Korea, Morocco, Japan...I traveled the world to get away. I realized they could not track me where there were no wizards to bring them news. So now I’m here.”

“I wish you’d told me,” Remus said, his thumb gently stroking the top of Sirius’ hand, an echo of a decade long passed.

“I wish that too,” Sirius said before shaking his head and sitting upright, breaking their connection. “I’m sorry, Remus. I was seventeen and a fool. Forgive me?”

“There’s nothing to forgive,” Remus said, knowing it to be true. He’d been hurt but then everything Sirius had done had been for the right reasons: protection, altruism, love. Letting it all go was a little thing compared to the years of heartache and isolation Sirius had endured.

“Then let’s start anew. A new world, a new start.”

“You know this continent’s hardly ‘new,’ at least to wizards,” Remus reminded him. “The tribes here have been known to us for centuries and sit on the wizard council…”

“Yes yes, but they aren’t puppets of my parents, and that is something quite new,” Sirius said, the twinkle back in his soft eyes.

“A significant blessing to be sure,” Remus agreed, straightening in the chair. “Have you met with the locals here, the Croatoan leaders? They must have a theory of what happened here, why the previous colonists disappeared. Particularly if they have a wizard in the group.”

“I contacted them but their wizard was away, he should be back within a day or two, perfect timing on your part. We can meet with him together.”

“And what is your theory, if I might ask. Over a hundred muggle colonists don’t just vanish without a trace.”

Sirius looked into the fire, as if searching for answers in the flames.

“The longer I stay on this island, the more it perplexes me. Men and women, vanished without a trace. Their food was still on the tables, beds made, no sign of a struggle, no graves dug or bodies disposed of. Roanoke is a strange place Remus.”

“Absolutely no trace of them?”

“Well there is one, but it’s nothing like the clues you’re hoping for.”

Remus righted himself from the chair, brushing the wrinkles on his trousers out of existence. “Show me.”

Sirius led them out of the grove, the mist thinning as the sun righted herself in the sky, and beyond a smattering of other cabins, some of which looked to be currently occupied while others were simply abandoned. The snap of a clothesline in the breeze startled Remus momentarily and he almost lost his footing in the mud. Sirius laughed and shook his head. “We’ll need to get you some proper footwear.”

“I have a feeling these might in fact be a bit too proper,” Remus said, touching the souls of his shoes and muttering a word under his breath to grant them a sticking charm.

“Seems you’ve perfected your wandless magic,” Sirius said, and Remus attempted not to beam at the praise. The other man was always so effortless in his ability to pick up anything, from magic to language, and it was nice to hear he could also inspire a bit of awe now and again.

“It comes in handy when working so closely with muggles.”

“Maybe you can teach me then, I still haven’t mastered it,” Sirius said with a smile.

“But, let me guess, you’ve learned five languages, become an equestrian, and can juggle flaming swords?” Remus was only half teasing.

“Close. Six languages, I can ride a dragon, and learned to walk a tightrope over a river of eels.”

Remus’ mouth hung open as he was quite uncertain whether Sirius was entirely serious. And the secretive grin he received in return did nothing to placate his mind one way or another.

“Next you’ll tell me you fathered a dozen children.”

“Now THAT would be impossible,” Sirius laughed, “as you very well know.”

Remus shook his head and smiled down at the ground. That was one thing he was quite glad to hear Sirius had not done.

“And you? Married? Children?”

“The same as you. Confirmed bachelor and all that. Mum understands but I think my Da is starting to wonder,” Remus answered, knowing at least Sirius could sympathize with his situation.

“And an Auror. They must be proud.”

“They are, though Mum still worries every time she sees something in the Profit, scared I got cursed or spliched or, I don’t know, have a bad hangnail.”

“You’re lucky,” Sirius said, his voice wistful and his look faroff as Remus glanced over at his friend. He knew he was, having parents who loved and supported him, so unlike the unfortunate hand Sirius had been dealt. It was almost unfathomable how he’d turned out so well with no proper parental figures to guide and nurture him.

“I am,” Remus replied, wishing he could be there for Sirius as his family had always been for him. But saying it aloud seemed much too intimate for their newly reestablished friendship, so he kept his mouth firmly shut.

“Here we are,” Sirius said, breaking Remus’ overly sappy train of thought as they came upon a small field of grass turned dead and golden as it rustled in the faint ocean breeze. Around the edge and leading off toward the town was a wooden palisade, not overly tall or well constructed, but enough to keep out roaming creatures. The barricade was quite unfinished, held together in many places with a rather exorbitant amount of twine. No gateway or doorway was in place to keep anything or anyone hostile from making their way in upon the path, but it seemed an effort had been made to secure the town.

“You’re right,” Remus said, scanning the structure that had been in place for at least a couple years, “this is entirely unhelpful.”

“What? No not that,” Sirius said, grabbing Remus’ arm and crouching next to a section of the wall. “This.”

“Huh.”

While not entirely useful, it was much more interesting than a wooden fence. Etched into the wood at about knee height were three crudely carved letters, “CRO.”

“And why do you think this has anything to do with, well, anything?” Remus asked, sliding his forefinger over the word. No telltale signs of magic, it was carved by muggle hands with muggle tools for completely unfathomable reasons.

“I don’t really know. It just seemed a bit odd. Out of place,” Sirius said. And, it’s hard to tell now, but the carving was completely new when we arrived, the letters fresh against the lighter surrounding wood.”

“Curious,” Remus said then shrugged. “It could mean anything or nothing at all. “Croatoan Island, or like the native people of this place. But then again, as it is about knee height, it could be the innocent vandalism of a child learning to spell their own name.”

“A good point,” Sirius said, standing back to his full height, leaving Remus to crouch at an intimate level he was very aware of. He attempted not to blush before standing as well.

“And you found this to be a clue because…?” Remus asked.

“I do not, but some of the settlers...well let’s just say they’re not as trusting of the native tribe’s claims to be innocent in this.”

“So they think, what, that this is some warning? That the Croatoan will make them go ‘poof’ too?” Remus asked incredulously.

“Something like that.” Sirius shrugged, clearly finding no merit in the unfounded accusations.

“Seems far fetched, for one, if they wanted everyone dead, why are you and the new settlers still alive? And also, how would they abduct or kill over a hundred men and women without a trace? Pure fear mongering if I’ve ever seen it.” Remus scratched his head and looked around at the unvandalized planks. “And you’ve nothing else to go on?”

“Nothing,” Sirius said, initiating a slow walk around the perimeter. “It’s all rather confusing. Some have theories, though those on the more superstitious side up and left back to England with the ship.”

“And you stayed,” Remus remarked.

“Well, I’m at an advantage, though they don’t know that,” he said, drawing his wand from his boot before replacing it.

“You’re going to snap that thing in half,” Remus sighed.

“Then you’d better stick around and teach me some propper wandless magic, can’t have me helpless with a bunch of muggles to surreptitiously protect.”

Remus chuckled and wondered why he wasn’t outright refuting the prospect.


	2. Chapter 2

It was afternoon by the time Sirius led Remus back to town, none the wiser and desperate for answers he knew would not be easily forthcoming.

“Perhaps you should meet some of the villagers,” Sirius suggested as the bray of a domesticated donkey could be heard across a field.

“It would probably be...educational to hear their theories,” Remus submitted, kicking at leaves underfoot. 

“You’d be surprised how open minded some of them are. Well they’d have to be to stick around after what befell the first settlement.”

“Or just plain stupid,” Remus added.

“That could be. But Sir Walter, the mayor, told them if he heard even a whisper that the blame lay with the Croatoan—who have been nothing but kind—he’d boot them back to the motherland.”

“And did he?”

“Of course, within two weeks the ship had set sail back with half the settlers aboard. Some were just plain scared to settle here, others simply idiots who think the color of one’s skin gives them superiority. Not sorry to see them go even if it would've made the work go faster,” Sirius said, shrugging. 

“Sounds like a fine mayor,” Remus said.

“Oh he is, but the one you’ll want to meet most, that’s his cousin. Believe me, there’s no muggle quite like Lily Evans.”

* * *

Remus could not be more completely in agreement from simply a first glance. Her hair was like embers, falling loose around her heart-shape face from the braid that failed to maintain its radiance, and she smiled up at him from the wooden floor she was piecing together. 

“Mr. Black, how kind of you to bring me an assistant,” she said, straightening to a height that almost matched Remus’ own. 

“I’m afraid he’s here on other business. Miss Evans, meet Mr. Lupin, investigator for the Crown.”

“I was only kidding,” she said, “It’s not every day we get a stranger in town. Though you did arrive quite quickly.”

“And for that I’m thankful, as I’m sure you know, it’s no pleasure being at sea,” Remus said, attempting to not tell a single lie, for he knew he was not apt at it.

“No, the pleasure is all the sea’s,” she laughed. “So what do I owe this visit to my humble abode?”

“Re...Mr. Lupin has a few questions. And you being the town gossip…” Miss Evans smacked Sirius in the arm to which he feigned great pain, “I mean, procurer of information, I knew you’d be of help.”

“Regarding the disappearances.” She said it more a fact than a question to which Remus nodded.

Spreading her arms, Miss Evans indicated a chair and a barrel to which the men sat as she leaned against a corner. “Alright, you’ve got questions but so have I. An eye for an eye.”

“Pardon?” Remus said, a bit taken aback.

“I think she wants to ask you in return,” Sirius pointed out. “Seems only fair.” With that he smirked, remembering probably how bad a liar Remus was and wanting a bit of fun at his expense.

“I...alright. If it’s within my jurisdiction to answer that is.”

“And I’ll do the same,” Lily said with a smirk. Remus was beginning to see why she and Sirius got along so well.

“Alright, what do you think happened to the previous colonists?” he started.

Miss Evans bit her bottom lip and furrowed her brow. “Now do you want honesty or the answer the Crown will find most plausible, like they were killed by natives?”

“Honesty would be best.”

“Don’t say I didn’t warn you,” Miss Evans said, taking a deep breath. “Alright. Magic.”

“Oh?” said Remus raising a brow. Sirius covered a smile out of the corner of his eye.

Miss Evans shrugged. “They’re vanished without a trace. The Croatoan are the opposite of hostile, in fact they helped us and the previous settlers according to a journal I found. Beasts or pirates would leave a bloody trace and they left without a shred of their belongings. It might sound like I’m a fool, but I tell you only a fool would be so closed-minded about the unexplained. So...magic.” She handed him a journal stacked against a wall along with some other books, which he tucked under his arm for later perusal.

Remus decided, probably a bit late, that he’d best look shocked. “Magic. Sure. So…”

“No, my turn,” Miss Evans said with a smile, throwing her braid over her shoulder.

“How long have you two been together?”

Remus’ mouth hung open and Sirius crossed his arms over his chest, his expression borderline neutral, a first for him.

“Um, we’re not…”

Miss Evans burst out laughing. “Remember, if you’re allowed to lie, so am I.”

“We’re not together,” Remus and Sirius said simultaneously. 

“If you say so,” Miss Evans relented.

Remus cleared his throat and brushed at non-existent lint on his trousers. “My turn. Why do you believe in magic?”

“The same reason you do.”

Remus turned to Sirius who shook his head. To a bystander that could mean many things, but to Remus it simply meant ‘no she’s not a witch.’

“So you believe magic, or someone magical, took them away.”

“Or something. Oh dear I didn’t get my turn,” Miss Evans realized. “I guess I’m out of questions anyway. But yes, and I believe you’ll agree with me after you speak with the Croatoan.”

“Tomorrow,” Remus assured her.

“Good. Treat them with respect, they’ve been nothing but kind to us and the previous settlers, even welcomed us to live with them if we would be interested to take on their ways. Believe me, I’m thinking on it,” She seemed to have realized she’d shocked Remus quite a bit and thought back on her words momentarily. “Oh and rest assured, your secret is safe with me.” She smiled knowingly between them.

“I have no idea to what you are referring, but we’ll be in touch” Remus said, turning to give her a small shake of his head and a pleading smile before Sirius heard him out the door.

“So she’s not a…” Remus trailed off the unspoken word as he and Sirius strode from Miss Evan’s cabin. 

“No, but honestly I’ve seen Legitimens with less insight. She’s got a gift, even if it’s not magic. Though she’s quite the believer.”

“Clearly.”

“You should have her read your palm next time you see her. Very intriguing.”

“Oh?” Remus asked, stopping in the path. “She’s read yours?”

Sirius nodded.

“And what did she say?” Remus asked, intrigued.

Sirius shook his head, smiling and then winked. “I’ll tell you another time.”

A bit weary and unused to the time difference between Roanoke and London, Remus decided to rest a bit before he continued his search. Sirius gladly lended him the use of his cabin, telling him to feel free to make himself comfortable with a roguish wink, before leaving to help with more of the town’s reconstruction.

Not taking the bait, tempting as it was, to lay in Sirius’ bed, which could be glimpsed through an open doorway, Remus instead made himself comfortable on a plush settee by the fire and opened the journal Miss Evans had given him. 

Eyes heavy, he skimmed the pages as the warmth of the fire lulled him away from his duties. The journal seemed to be that of a young man from the first colony, the first few chapters chronicling his time aboard the ship, the meals they ate, weather they encountered, a spattering of fights that broke out. Nothing of interest or chronicling out of the ordinary events.

Upon landing the journalist wrote of the hardships of building a town from scratch, but, as Miss Evans said, the kindness of the native tribe who lent them food and showed them how best to plant crops. Remus’ eyelids were just beginning to droop when Sirius came bursting in, startling Remus from his almost-slumber.

“Remus, you have to see this,” Sirius exclaimed, hair wild around his face, red with the exertion of running to bring him this news.

Frowning, Remus rose and followed his friend, exiting the cabin and making their way into the forest, Sirius turning back every few yards to ensure he followed closely behind.

“One of the village children found it, deep in the forest. You have to see it,” he said somewhat breathlessly.

Remus nodded, following deeper and deeper until the fog grew dense and the sound of the village was left far behind to the whisper of wind and the rattle of branches speaking a language Remus would never understand.

“It’s just there,” Sirius said, stopping somewhat reverently and pointing ahead. Remus took one step forward, then another, surpassing Sirius until he could see the spectacle unfold.

There was nothing unique about the ring of stark white trunks of the birch trees ahead, no indication of why they were chosen, why they were special. Yet ringed around their trunks, over and over, binding them into a tight circle was row upon row of white string. Drops of dew, ripe from the fog, made it glitter in the sparse sunlight that filtered through the mist, the only thing causing it to stand out in the strange atmosphere. 

It was such a curious sight that Remus found he’d been holding his breath, expecting something supernatural to happen, a wizard to appear, a curse to be thrown his way. But nothing moved in the fog. He was about to speak Sirius’ name, to ask for his take on the confusing scene, when something odd brushed the back of his neck, like a stray hair but courser and more alien than his own. 

Whipping around, Remus gasped and took a step back. Eyes, dozens of round eyes, black as pits littered Sirius’ face, crammed together like an insect, completely devoid of human emotion. When he smiled it revealed shocking mandibles, long and dripping, an unsightly horror that caused Remus to look away only to see that which had touched him. Instead of those familiar beautiful hands Sirius now supported rail-thin arms much too long for his body, thick fur ever increasing from the elongated elbow down, ending not in fingers but points useless for a human being. 

Unable to speak and devoid of even the slightest inclination of what to do, either for himself or the thing that was once Sirius, Remus only stared, moments passing, long and silent, until the thing opened its mouth wide. Its lips never moved, yet somehow it formed words, echoing deep and cavernous within its throat.

“Release me.”

Panicked, Remus stepped back, stumbling, falling backwards, and then…

He woke up.

Remus had never gasped such a deep breath in his entire life. His lungs felt devoid of air, as if he hadn’t breathed in minutes, his body craving it as if he could never get enough. He could feel his heart hammering in his chest, erratic and almost painful as he attempted to reason with his physical body that it was only a dream. Luckily self preservation won over and Remus was just beginning to feel more a human being than a hummingbird when Sirius, real Sirius, entered.

The man stopped in his tracks, cocking an eyebrow and appraising Remus before sitting beside him on the settee.

“Don’t tell me you’ve seen a ghost.”

“If only,” Remus said, shaking his head, watching Sirius look at his hand where it reached out to perhaps offer Remus some comfort that would be so welcome and yet perhaps overly familiar for the decade lost. Instead the man patted Remus once on the shoulder and leaned away.

“Need to talk about it?”

“It was only a bad dream. I must have dozed off, I just don’t sleep well in new places,” Remus confessed.

“That will do it,” Sirius said. 

Remus found his senses had returned enough to notice the appealing veins in Sirius’ forearms where his sleeves had been rolled up after a hard day laboring.

“Anything interesting in there?” Sirius asked, indicating the journal that lay forgotten and opened upon Remus’ knee.

“Not much,” Remus said, closing it and putting it aside. It’s pretty dry reading, thus why I fell asleep, but I’ll have another go at it later.”

“Good idea. For now, care to join some of the villagers and I for a pint of whatever it is you brought forth from the old country? I assume there’s alcohol in at least one of those crates, and I’m happy to inform you that the town tavern was the first building we restored. Priorities and all that,” Sirius chuckled

Remus knew he had work to do, but he was sorely tempted to spend more recreational time with Sirius. Perhaps he could satisfy himself by saying it was purely research as he listened to town gossip. “Oh, why not?”

* * *

It seemed as though the Ministry knew how to properly enebreate a colony of muggles—and two wizards—as an entire crate was filled with a variety of beverages with the specific property of getting them completely drunk. 

The tavern was small even by crowded London standards, there were cracks in the walls where the wind whistled through like an old tea kettle and absolutely anything could be considered a chair, sturdy or not, but no one seemed to mind a bit. Luckily, as guest of honor and bringer of ale, Remus was allotted a stool at what was considered the bar—though Remus had doubts—alongside Sirius who seemed to sense that Remus did not wish to be left without him.

It would have been very easy for Sirius to find himself another seat, everyone in the entire place seemed to adore him. From Molly, the tavern keep who gave him the biggest kiss on the cheek before shoving him off playfully when he went in for another, to Sir Walter the mayor who had an outright drinking contest with him before giving up halfway through his first pint. 

“Can’t hold his ale but at least he can hold a town together,” Sirius joked to which the mayor feigned affrontation. 

“Evicted, get out of my town! Effective on this day of our Lord, April…”

“It’s October,” Sirius pointed out.

“Fine, you can stay on as my calendar,” Sir Walter acquiesced.

“How prestigious,” Remus said, earning a playful jab to his side from Sirius. 

A moment later he felt the man’s hand gently, reassuringly squeeze his thigh. When he met Sirius’ eye, there was a question there, as if he recalled how introverted Remus was, how gatherings like this could be a bit much and really was he quite alright? But Remus had grown a bit, not changed his preference but made himself more comfortable in uncomfortable surroundings, learning to find the pleasure of little things instead of becoming overwhelmed by the noise, the raucousness, the roil of activity that was not his usual cup of tea. He smiled back at Sirius, nodding slightly, and when that hand on his knee went to retreat he grasped it with his own and folded it secretly under the bar. Sirius ducked his head away from Remus then, but he saw the smile the other man could not hide away.

The remainder of the evening passed in the same fashion, Sirius being the life of the party, alcohol flowing, stories being told, and Remus sipping his own rather large mug as he observed it all. As all had work to be done in the morning, the night time reverie did not go late and things soon began to quiet down as villagers departed for the siren song of their own beds. 

Unlike in their Hogwarts days, Sirius was not the last to leave his drink, bidding others who were still finishing their own a good night before jovally linking arms with Remus and leading him out the door. 

“You’re staying with me tonight, no argument,” Sirius warned as they made their way into the trees, a lantern held high above his head. 

“Nonsense, I’ll just stay here,” Remus said, laughing as he kicked at two beams leaning together and jumping out of the way when they almost fell on him. “Fine establishment.”

“May it rest in pieces,” Sirius said solemnly before he too burst out laughing. “But really, I’ll just magic you a room, it’ll be much more convenient than you staying elsewhere.”

“Always happy to be convenient,” Remus teased.

“That’s not…

“Sometimes I wonder if I make things too easy, or if anyone really enjoys my company,” Remus said, a bit more serious than he’d intended.

“Remus,” Sirius said, grabbing both his hands suddenly in his own, warm and comforting against the chill of night, “I never was with you out of convenience. Even if you question me, and I don’t blame you one bit for that, never think you were the reason I left. I was a fool for leaving you. It won’t happen again.”

Slightly more relieved to hear those words, words that he’d needed more than he previously thought, Remus simply nodded and squeezed Sirius’ hands before dropping them and continuing on. Sirius caught up quickly.

“Remus…”

“It’s alright, really. I do believe you.” And he did. The sincerity in Sirius’ words, in his soulful eyes, seemed all too apparent.

Once inside Sirius’ cabin, the frigid night air became all too apparent upon hitting the warmth the fire radiated inside the cozy space. Walking up to an empty wall, Sirius eyed it for a moment before pulling his wand—implausibly uncracked—from his boot. He muttered a string of words before a pith widened in a beam like a yawning mouth before transforming into an opening into another room. With another word Remus could see a bed and washstand appear followed shortly by a door ajar on copper hinges to seal it in.

“Of course you’re free to change whatever you like,” Sirius said, stepping aside as Remus grabbed his bag from where he’d placed it and ducking inside his newly magicked living quarters. 

“It’s perfect,” Remus said, and before he could think on the repercussions, Remus turned and kissed Sirius solidly on the lips. The other man seemed so stunned he did not even have the wherewithal to reciprocate before Remus stepped back, smiled, and gently closed the door on him. 

“Goodnight Sirius.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments are so appreciated!


	3. Chapter 3

The next day dawned with an approaching storm that caused great billowy grey clouds to loom low on the horizon. Remus shook his head, hoping the weather would hold for as long as possible so he could continue his work without being stuck indoors all day. When he opened his bedroom door it was to Sirius making two cups of tea beside a mound of very lumpy scones and what he assumed were sausages.

“Good morning,” he greeted before eyeing the fare. 

“Hope you slept well,” Sirius said, catching the skepticism Remus was giving his cooking. “They taste better than the look.” He grabbed a scone as proof and took a bite which seemed to emit a lot more crumbs than Remus was used to. Nevertheless he took one as well and decided they were in fact quite delicious despite appearances. 

“I’m impressed,” Remus said, taking a seat.

“That will teach you to doubt me,” Sirius said, setting a cup of tea in front of Remus before pulling up a chair for himself at the small table he seemed to have transfigured from what was possibly a throw pillow judging from the tassels that still hung on each corner.

But really, Remus realized he had no reason to have thought otherwise. They’d spent so many years apart that he’d missed the entirety of Sirius Black becoming a man, transforming into the person he was from the boy he’d known at Hogwarts. How much of his feelings were for someone he thought he knew, or was he simply deluding himself? 

Full of doubts he could not yet reconcile, Remus quickly finished his breakfast before rising, a strained silence that was not lost upon Sirius.

“Everything alright?” he asked as Remus headed for the door.

“Yes. Of course. Just like to get an early start is all. I’ll see you in town I’m sure,” Remus said, taking his leave as Sirius attempted a confused farewell.

Remus sighed and pulled his hair back, tying it with a ribbon before starting through the forest, glancing every once in a while through the treetops at the clouds overhead. It would probably rain sooner rather than later, and though rain was no hardship to a wizard who could easily repel the pesky drops with magic, that might raise more questions than he’d like in a muggle village. 

Deciding to start at the top, Remus made for a large house on a hillside that he’d been told belonged to Sir Walter, Mayor of Roanoke, and his family before him. As the sole surviving member of the previous settlement, though he’d left before the disappearance to return to England, Remus was sure the man had some sort of insight, though he would have to tread lightly around such a sensitive subject. The loss of his family must surely still weigh heavily upon the man’s shoulders.

Striding up the stone path, Remus knocked on the door of what was probably considered a manor in this part of the world and was surprised when Sir Walter himself opened it within a few seconds.

“Mr. Lupin, good morning. Saw you coming up the hill, please, come in.”

“Thank you,” Remus replied before stepping inside. Remus glanced around, taking in any hints from his surroundings to the man who now called it home. Though the structure was fairly new, the items inside held a history, pieces of the old life. It seemed Sir Walter was quite the traveler, at least around their small part of the world, as there were vases from Italy, furniture from France, paintings from Holland, and even rugs from Morocco. Sir Walter studied where Remus gazed before waving a hand dismissively.

“Never take for granted the treasure that family is, Mr. Lupin.”

“Wise words,” Remus agreed as he was led into a richly adorned sitting room. For its vastness, the house was so empty it almost echoed like a cavern devoid of even small creatures to call it home.

“Sirius...Mr. Black I mean, is a friend of yours?” Sir Walter asked, perhaps recalling their time drinking the previous evening.

“Old schoolyard friends,” Remus said, revealing the truth while still keeping his secrets. 

“I thought so, I could see a lot of history behind your camaraderie,” Sir Walter said, and Remus took a mental note to hide his feelings a bit more just to be safe.

“He’s a good man, you’re lucky to have him starting this town with you. Loyal to a fault, a hard worker when he’s passionate about something, which he clearly is, and always a team player,” Remus responded, not having to tell a single fib to boast about his friend.

“Yes, he’s been quite the asset. But I know you didn’t come all the way here to sell me on Mr. Black, so tell me what I can do to assist in this investigation?”

Remus took a deep breath, straightened in his chair and attempted to act like a muggle official. “Of course. Well the Crown is deeply concerned about the disappearances, wishing to put the minds at ease of families, officials, etcetera. And I know you of all people have endured the worst of it, and I wish to convey my deepest sympathy for your loss. Anything you can think of to help prevent another tragedy and solve this one would be most helpful.”

“Do you have children, Mr. Lupin?” Sir Walter asked after a moment, eyes trailing off across the scattered antiques and furniture of the empty room.

“No Sir,” Remus replied.

“It’s a funny thing, they fill your heart up so much. Even when I was away back in England, just knowing my daughter and granddaughter were here waiting for me, I had such purpose in returning to the new life we were building together. Now, without them, there’s just such an emptiness.”

“I can’t even imagine what you’re going through,” Remus said solemnly. Furrows around Sir Walter’s eyes that only last night Remus had taken for laugh lines were obviously caused by a much much deeper well of emotions than the man let on.

“And I hope you never will. My biggest regret is not seeing her grow up, my granddaughter Virginia. She was only a little thing when I left, five, maybe even four. And looked just like her mother,” he remembered fondly as his eyes began to well.

“If it is within my power to find them, I promise I will,” Remus said, knowing how hollow those words probably sounded even upon his own ears. Sir Walter though seemed to be in his own world.

“She used to play with the little Croatoan children, running between the trees, so carefree, so beautiful…”

“I’m sure she was,” Remus said, unsure how to proceed. He’d never done well with emotions, especially among those he didn’t know well, and Sir Walter was lost in his grief. Not wishing to further depress the poor man who was so different than the jovial mayor he’d seen the previous night, perhaps lost in his cups, Remus bid him good morning and left the mansion to seek out Sirius to inquire when they might meet with the Croatoan wizard. 

The sky was ominously dreary as he walked the rocky path toward the town center, grey furrowed through darker grey, like a watercolor ruined by an innocent child. Yet no rain fell as of yet, one thing Remus was quite thankful for.

Only just on the edge of the trees Remus found a group of men and women busy at work upon a roof, bravely tearing off rotted beams and tossing them to the ground while others hammered fresh ones into place, golden and new against their older counterparts.

“Lupin,” Sirius called warmly from atop a beam where he preached with no fear of falling, “That did not take long.”

Remus stepped forward so his words were for Sirius’ ears only. “I believe Sir Walter and I will continue our conversation on another, better day.”

“Ah,” Sirius bowed his head knowingly. “He’s a strong man, but sometimes…” 

“I don’t know that I’d even leave the house under the circumstances,” Remus admitted as Sirius nodded at his words.

“Then we will call on him another time, perhaps together. I’ve been told my laughter is infectious.”

“Are you sure it wasn’t your…” he attempted to think of a muggle disease, “lizard pox?”

Sirius’ threw his head back in mirth but did not seem at all off balance though Remus was startled for him. “That’s not a disease. Chicken pox though…”

“You’re making that up.”

“I swear upon my mother’s soul.”

“But she hasn’t one!”

Sirius laughed again and then stood to the side to let another man pass by on his railing.

“If only,” he began but then his eyes grew wide.

Remus heard only the startled exclamation of “Look out below!” before a sharp pain to his head caused the whole world to snap out of existence.

Coming to, Remus was surprised to find himself horizontal when he very clearly had last been vertical. The sky was very very grey. And his head, that had not been pounding a moment before—or had it been a minute, he could not tell how much time had passed. Only that a very worried Sirius loomed over him and very gently was squeezing his shoulder.

“Remus, it’s going to be okay,” he said softly, and Remus began to realize as the pain ebbed away, that it really was going to be alright. The pulsing in his head turned duller and duller as if pulled out of his body, and the moment his nausea dissipated he turned to see Sirius’ other hand was surreptitiously hidden in his boot, no doubt touching his wand as he attempted a healing incantation. Remus sighed and fell back, realizing too late that would not be ideal for his head, but Sirius caught it and held him gently. 

“It’s okay, don’t try to talk yet. That was a nasty blow, one of the beams must have come loose, but you’ll be alright.”

Remus nodded before deciding he could again sit up. Sirius seemed keen to help him and held his back until Remus took some steadying breaths to ground himself. Only then did he see the group of villagers had all halted their work to gather around and ensure he was alright. One woman had even wet a compress and handed it to him to hold to his head. Highly unnecessary after Sirius’ magic had done its work, but Remus nodded his thanks and took it nonetheless.

Once he was able to stand again the others seemed to dissipate back to their work. “Don’t scare me like that,” Sirius laughed, though it was cut off by a cry in the distance, quickly growing closer. Like a baby deer unused to its long legs, a teen boy seemed to burst from the brush, yelling for help as he stumbled into the clearing.

“Please, you must…” he attempted to catch his breath and tell his plight all at once but Sirius rushed to his side while Remus attempted to stand. 

“Slow down, what’s happened?” Sirius asked.

“It’s my little sister, she fell down a hole. Please!” 

“Alright, quick, show us,” Sirius said as Remus and the others began to follow the boy’s shaky steps back into the woods. The forest was darker, the sky held no light to pierce the canopy and Remus wished he could spare the magic for a light but knew it would not be possible. Still, they made their way to a small clearing ringed by strangely familiar trees. Just as he was about to point that out, the boy shouted and pointed. “It’s just there, the hole in the ground.”

And indeed, a hole not visible from afar had popped up in the darkness, black and unnaturally round, unassuming save for how out of place it seemed in the ring of trees.

“She’s in there, save her please,” the boy said, not wishing to step closer.

Remus did though, as did Sirius and the villagers, closing in as quickly as possible until they could look over the edge, down into the chasm. There was no bottom, no slope, no ladder to climb down. How they would descend seemed an impossible feat and he was just about to voice that concern to Sirius and the others when he heard a voice, raspy and disused, whisper up from deep within, stopping his heart.

“Release me.”

A familiar whisper that became a cacophony, echoing off the walls as if sung by a million bats as they competed for his ear. Frightened, Remus turned back to Sirius but there was no Sirius, only a faceless mob, silhouettes with long limbs and pointed hands, scuttling and scurrying towards him. Before he could utter a word they pushed him and then Remus was falling, down deep, the surface only a pinprick of light, a star in the void of night’s sky. And then it was gone and there was nothing only him and the pit and the thing that called for him echoing everywhere, enveloping him in words, tightening like a full-body noose so he could hardly breath, hardly move, hardly think.

With a start Remus sat up, gasping for breath.

“Careful,” a voice warned, fuzzy but familiar. Too human to be the insanely terrifying voice that continued to echo hauntingly in his now fully conscious mind.

“Is this real?” Remus crooked, putting a hand to the top of his head and wincing.

“Unfortunately,” Sirius said curiously before taking his hand, squeezing it once, reassuringly, then pulling it away from his head. “A beam hit you on the head. How do you feel.”

“Like shit,” Remus said honestly, hearing a gasp from nearby. “Sorry, didn’t mean to swear in front of the ladies.”

Sirius laughed and ducked his head, whispering next to his ear. “Unfortunately they’re not all the progressive witches we’re used to. I’d levitate you but they might burn me at the stake. Do you think you can stand? ”

Remus wiggled one eyebrow experimentally. His head was fuzzy and he couldn’t control his words as much as usual. “I can think a lot of things.”

“Is this one of them?”

“Don’t be condescending,” he grumbled at Sirius.

“I’m only trying to get you back to my cabin.”

“Why, are you courting me dear Sirius?”

“I believe I like this side of you, no inhibitions,” Sirius laughed, though one arm clung to his side, steadying Remus in a very real and necessary way as he sought to right himself. He wished Sirius would do that thing he’d done in his dream, draining the pain away with his magic, but he also didn’t want Sirius to turn into a spider covered in eyeballs so he decided to let this all play out here in the real world.

“Are those really your eyes?” he asked, attempting to poke at Sirius before the man turned away in surprise. 

“Yes?” Sirius said confused.

“Good,” Remus nodded, strangely assured as Sirius helped him up and they started slowly back to his cabin. “Don’t push me in a hole this time.”

“And why would I do that?”

“I really have no idea. When you’re a spider person, your reasoning is beyond me.”

“I guess we’ll come back to that later,” Sirius said with one eyebrow raised, and Remus was very glad they did not approach any holes and that Sirius’ limbs were very warm and not the least bit hairy or pointy.

“You have nice teeth too,” Remus added. “Very human.”

“Why thank you,” Sirius said as they approached the door. He muttered the charm as he placed his hand upon the door and led Remus inside, carefully laying him to recline on the settee by the fire.

“Let’s see,” Sirius said, pulling his wand from his boot before taking the seat next to Remus, their thighs touching. Remus pulled closer.

“I wish you had stayed,” he said, tilting his head toward Sirius before letting it fall back over the couch. 

“Me too,” Sirius said softly before whispering an incantation under his breath. Suddenly things began to clear, Remus’ thoughts were more sharp by the moment, and his pain dissipated and was replaced by a beautiful warmth and sense of calm. Moving his head was no longer a chore and he craned it toward Sirius who let it fall upon his shoulder before wrapping his arm around Remus. 

“Better?”

“Much,” Remus agreed.

“Good,” Sirius said, leaving them in a comfortable silence by the crackling fire for a few minutes. “So now will you tell me why you think I’m a—what did you call it—spider man?”

“Oh.” His words came back to Remus in an embarrassing crash and he pulled away. “Sorry, that was...odd of me. My head was a bit fuzzy after. It’s just, I keep having these strange dreams where you have long hairy limbs or spider eyes and teeth.”

“Huh.”

“Then it always ends with a voice calling to me to release it.”

Sirius sat up at that. “How many times have you had this dream?”

“Twice since arriving. They’re different dreams, but in each of them we’re in the woods and you become a spider person and it ends when a voice calls ‘Release me.’” He turned to look at Sirius who had a most worried look furrowing his brow. “You don’t think it’s just dreams, do you?”

“I’m not sure, but I do know someone much more adept at interpreting dreams than I am.” Sirius squeezed Remus’ shoulder before standing and offering his hand. “Let’s go visit the Croatoan.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for your feedback!


	4. Chapter 4

They met the man on the edge of a river, a place out of time and unspoiled by the virulent human footprint. Crimson leaves fluttered lightly from the trees to the softly flowing waters, and even sunlight peeked through, unfettered by the storm brewing over Roanoke. He stood in a clearing, tall with dark hair that hung smoothly down his back, a strength of presence that made Remus feel small and unsure of himself despite his magical gifts. But this man simply radiated power even when he did nothing at all and it was daunting.

Sirius, who had taken to the Croatoan language as he did to anything he set his mind to, greated the man in his own tongue, and though he did not smile, the man seemed more at ease, though whether that was due to Sirius’ natural charisma or lack of fear, Remus could not know.

“Remus,” Sirius said, indicating the man, “This is Pemisapan, a leader and shamen among the Croatoan.”

“It is an honor,” Remus said, allowing Sirius to continue to translate between them. Pemisapan stepped closer and Remus swore the very grass beneath his feet turned greener, as if growing magic radiated forth from him.

“Pemisapan says we are welcome here,” Sirius continued, “but he fears the other settlers may have brought something evil with them, something that destroyed the previous town.”

It was not a theory Remus had previously entertained, but it was worth looking into. Though there were no wizards aboard the first expedition, they may have inadvertently brought something with them to this new land that wreaked havoc. “Perhaps. According to Sir Walter, his granddaughter used to play with Croatoan children. Does he know if any of them saw anything strange, sensed anything magical or out of place?”

Sirius took a minute to understand the reply. “He says he will ask, his daughter was friends with Virginia, they would play house in the trees, swim in the river and build dream catchers together.”

“That would be most helpful,” Remus said. 

Without asking Remus for another question, Sirius proceeded to speak, his words becoming more emotive as he’d often gesture back toward Remus. He caught a word here and there, “dream,” “spider,” “evil,” but they passed quickly and without a knowledge of grammar he was lost other than to assume Sirius was discussing his dreams. Instead he studied the shamen’s expression, noting a slight furrow in his brow but thankfully no look of shock or horror to indicate his dreams were a horrible omen, unless of course the man was simply quite adept at hiding his feelings.

Soon Pemisapan and Sirius seemed to run out of questions regarding the dreams and turned back to Remus, the silent observer. 

“I don’t know how helpful this sounds, but Pemisapan says not to be afraid of your dreams.”

“Not to be afraid...as you transform into a giant spider and everyone pushes me into an endless pit. Right, why should I be afraid, such normal everyday occurrences…”

“Remus, don’t shoot the messenger.”

“Sorry. Right, so I’ll just, not be afraid. And they’ll go away?”

Sirius translated and then responded. “That’s not what he meant. He doesn’t think they’ll go away. But,” he cut in before Remus could offer a snappy retort, “he also doesn’t think they’re an ill omen.”

“So, what, this is some sort of metaphor? You becoming a spider man means my garden will grow and falling means I’m going to fall in love?”

Sirius smirked at the last part and shrugged. “Well I’m not sure about that first part, you almost failed Herbology third year…”

“Sirius please!”

“Really Remus, he doesn’t seem worried. Pemisapan says spiders are wise, skillful, a good omen.”

Remus shook his head. “I don’t mean to be disrespectful. Just, these dreams seem so...threatening.”

Sirius related the sentiment. “He says if you have another, we should send an owl. Or a crow. Or a hawk. So many more options out here.”

“Right. Well, I guess we’ll be in touch then. Tell him thank you and to be careful during the coming storm.”

Sirius translated and got an odd look before the man bid them farewell in his own tongue.

Not wishing to aparate back just yet, the two wizards walked east along the edge of the river, shoulders close but not quite touching. Remus needed this companionship, this strange yet grounding effect Sirius always had upon him. His thoughts and emotions could be tumultuous, though he rarely let on, and something about Sirius always helped him to simplify them and make them more manageable.

“So what do you think?” Remus asked after a moment before they stopped at a sunlit cliff where the water flowed down into a basin below. Infinitesimal water droplets hung in the air in sheets before dissipating, cultivating moss and lichen in the rocks and trees, deep green within the golden autumn.

“I think you should trust your instincts,” Sirius supplied. “But also take his advice. Shamans are much more versed in dream magic than we are, so perhaps there’s some logic to his words.”

Remus nodded and looked out towards the ocean, noting Roanoke far in the distance. Even the storm wasn’t visible from this heavenly shore through the effervescent sunlight. “Why didn’t the Croatoan settle on Roanoke I wonder?”

“Too remote? Not enough access to the herds they follow? I believe there’s many factors.”

“That seems logical,” Remus admitted. “I just wonder if there’s anything else.”

“I don’t see why he’d withhold information.”

“Maybe not intentionally,” Remus said. “Sorry, I’m just spouting my thoughts.”

“That’s alright, I’m glad if I can help you put them in order, just like the old days,” Sirius said with a smile.

“Do you ever want to go back? To England?” Remus asked.

“Maybe one day, if my parents are dead and I’ve been assured they will not haunt me as ghosts. But not now. I like adventures, becoming someone new, someone different than their expectations,” Sirius admitted.

“I like that too.”

They walked further, talking about less important matters, daily life in London, some of Sirius’ travels, but then the weight of his task began to grow heavy on Remus’ shoulders and they decided to travel back. They figured they’d been gone long enough to not cause suspicion as they apparated on Roanoke’s western dock. 

Their shadows disappeared once again in the gloom, the sun but a distant memory as they strode back toward town under a somber grey sky.

“So what’s next in your investigation?” Sirius asked and Remus realized the man had been staring at him for longer than he’d noticed. He attempted not to think anything of it even though it made him feel foolishly warm inside to have Sirius’ attention.

“I was thinking of visiting some of the empty homes? Perhaps find a clue or sense an echo of whatever transpired if there was magic involved?”

“There’s nothing I’ve sensed, but I think you should try your luck regardless of my own. And there’s plenty of abandoned houses, just travel outwards from town,” Sirius suggested, gesturing with one hand. “I’m going to give the villagers a hand, make sure no more beams fall on any other pretty heads.”

Remus took a step away from the man, back towards the forest, but stopped before he was out of earshot. “Then I’ll see you back at your place, Sirius.”

Attempting to refocus his one track mind from the much too attractive brunette he was leaving in his wake who had just called him ‘pretty,’ Remus wandered between bony trunks and browning underbrush until he saw a decidedly non organic structure between the fall foliage. The cabin appeared to be mostly intact as he approached, though a tree limb had fallen through one window’s greased paper pane, leaving the interior exposed to the elements. With little effort Remus was able to shoulder open the door, finding a small one room dwelling within. It was sparsely furnished with spindly homemade pieces, a chair, table, bucket, and rusted lamp. What was once a straw mattress had been pulled apart by some sort of creature to be reused as their own place of rest. But other than the reclamation by Mother Nature, nothing seemed amiss. There was no sign of struggle, and when Remus focused his energy he could sense no wizardly magic at play. 

He closed the door behind him, out of habit more than any sort of propriety, and wandered until he found another dwelling. This was in worse shape than the last, missing half its roof, so Remus simply peered in the window, searching for clues. Again, nothing amiss. 

A third cabin seemed to have been inhabited by a family, for there was a doll with a porcelain head on the floor, her cotton and cloth limbs succumbing to the elements while her bright smile stared disconcerting up at Remus. Touching it he found nothing, yet after a bit of searching Remus dug beneath a mostly intact mattress to find a strange geometric crafted object made of sticks and string. He’d never seen the like before and wondered at it, so with a bit of wandless magic he shrunk the object. Tucking it into his pocket for future investigation, Remus continued his sweep but found nothing more. 

After four more cabins revealed nothing of importance, Remus decided he’d best make his way back into town. Though he did not mind being out after dark, he did not wish to raise suspicion with the townspeople by lurking in the forest. 

Sirius did not yet appear to be home, so Remus lit a lamp, put his feet up by the fire and attempted to finish the dry reading that was the first journal Miss Evans had given him. The man had been meticulous, which was wonderful for his investigative work, save for the fact that Remus had absolutely no idea what, if any of these ordinary everyday events, he was looking for. When Sirius finally arrived, what must have been hours later, Remus was almost finished but only had kept himself awake by reading aloud the ponderous lists and meticulous details.

“Sixth of August: Woke an hour before dawn. Hour six through twelve spent in the mine, no gold. Lunch of boiled mutton and cabbage from hour…” Remus glanced over his shoulder. “Ah you’ve returned.”

Sirius shook off his coat and threw his boots in a pile by the door before making himself comfortable beside Remus on the couch. “Sorry, didn’t realize how late it got. We finished the flooring on Lily’s house and she cooked us supper. I’d have invited you if I’d known you were back.”

“Think nothing of it. I’ve been remiss in my homework,” Remus said, indicating the nearly complete journal.

“Now that takes me back, teacher’s pet,” Sirius laughed before settling beside him. “Find anything in the cabins?”

“Not really...oh.” Remus recalled the object he’d shrunk into his pocket. Pulling out the sticks bound with twine, he charmed it back to actual size. “What is this?”

“Ah, a dreamcatcher,” Sirius said, touching the geometric pattern the twine made as it wove between the sticks. “The Croatoan believe they help ward off bad dreams. I believe the children would make them in the old settlement.”

“Interesting,” Remus said, placing the object on the table. “But not exactly useful.”

“Then is there anything useful in the journal?”

“It’s hard to tell. There’s nothing at the end, that was the first bit I read, so now I’m just digging for clues that I’m not even sure exist. Does the fact that he went to bed at 8:05 rather than 8pm like every other night mean anything? Or his toast was a bit burnt that morning, or his left back molar hurt—really I wish I knew.”

Sirius scoffed a bit then looked over quite seriously at Remus. “If I can help in any way…”

Remus put a hand just above Sirius’ knee and squeezed. “Thank you, really.”

“Oh, I know.” Sirius grabbed the journal from Remus’ hand before he could pull it away, tilting his neck from one side to the other and clearing his throat.

“Innnn the morning!” he sang, in the most horrible off key soprano Remus had ever heard, “There was a hole, in my... right...sock.” His voice lowered into a melodramatic operatic that had Remus flinging his head back in laughter. 

“Sirius, really…” Remus said, grabbing for the journal only for Sirius to hold it farther to his opposite side. 

“Til’ five I worked!” Sirius’ voice rang out, “inside the mine, oh it was fine...”

“It doesn’t say that,” Remus interjected.

“And filled with swine!”

Remus sighed, crossed his arms and smiled as Sirius continued. There was no stopping him it seemed.

“But then Old Job, he found some gold, I heard it told…”

“Wait hold on, they found gold?”

Sirius looked affronted that his singing was interrupted but then he relented, holding the page closer so Remus could see. “Well his name wasn’t Job, but yes it does look like they did manage to find gold.”

“Have you been to this mine, Sirius?” Remus asked, his curiosity peaked. Though it did not exactly remind him of the strange hole in his dream, which looked nothing like a mine, he would be remiss if he didn’t at least try to find out more.

“Me? No, though some of the men have been clearing out debris, and there’s talk of working it again. What is it with muggles and their hunger for gold?”

“Right, and wizards don’t keep whole vaults of it under Gringotts,” Remus said, taking the journal back and searching for other clues. There wasn’t much else mentioned other than the size of the gold piece, along with everyone’s renewed vigor to mine for more.

Sirius shrugged, proven wrong and not in a mood to fight it out apparently. Yet another lovely change from his youth when Sirius took everything personally, especially being proven incorrect.

“I might go search it in the morning,” Remus said, placing a marker in the journal and putting it away. 

“Or after the muggles have left it in the evening? So you can use magic if rocks decide to fall down on your head?” Sirius suggested.

“Maybe you’re right,” Remus gave in, though he hated delays. “Don’t worry, I’m not asking you to come with me.” 

Sirius seemed to visibly relax. “You know I would though. If you needed me.” 

The man had quite a case of claustrophobia which Remus was in no hurry to aggravate, a leftover trinket from a time when his mother would lock him in small dark cupboards for hours on end and refuse to answer his cries. Remus still hated her for it, for the scars she’d given Sirius that still haunted him into adulthood.

“But there is no need,” Remus said, “And it’s probably nothing. If something comes up, I promise to get out of there and not play the hero.”

“I don’t know that I’d normally trust a marauder to say such things,” Sirius started, “but I do trust you. Don’t make me come in after you though.”  
* * *

That night Remus knew he was dreaming for he very distinctly remembered falling asleep after debating for a very long time whether he wanted to sleep in his own bed or crawl into Sirius’. He now regretted his decision to sleep alone, wishing there was someone nearby to shake him out of this familiar nightmare. 

The woods felt like they were closing in on him, oppressive, haunting, every step seemed harder and harder to breath. But it didn’t take long for him to come upon the hole in the ground where it gaped like an unnatural wound in this perfect earth. Then he saw the children, faceless yet still singing a strange song as they danced and weaved around the hole, winding strings around the saplings that encircled it like some nightmarish maypole dance. They seemed unaware of his presence, driven only by their need to sing and create this never ending web from pools of string that seemed to come from their very fingertips. 

When a spider the size of his fist fell from the sky, skimming down a silvery web attached to no discernable tree to pause before his face, Remus was not frightened. He remembered the shamen’s words to not fear the dreams and took them to heart.

“Release me,” it said, the harsh sound of its voice less threatening than he remembered. 

He wanted to ask it ‘how’ or ‘why’ or ‘what are you and why would I let you out?’ but he could not, his words choking in his throat as he attempted to bring them forth. 

It repeated its words once again before its body burst open, spilling hundreds of tiny spiders out into the air, causing Remus to step back least they alight on his face. Only then did he notice the woods were swarming with them, the once white trunks now black with their tiny crawling bodies, surging over the ground and over plants in dark waves until they caught him, pushed at his feet, propelling him helplessly forward, right toward the hole, right into the darkness.

When Remus awoke, sweating and breathless, he practically jumped from his bed and made for Sirius’ room. The door was slightly ajar, Remus noted as he pushed it open and made for the dark rectangle of the bed before him.

“Remus?” Sirius said, and he saw a dark silhouette sit up, aware of his presence.

“I had the dream again,” Remus whispered.

“Okay,” came Sirius’ reply, quiet, reassuring, right before he scooted over and made room in the bed. Remus didn’t hesitate to fill it. And when Sirius folded him in his arms it felt like home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments are love!


	5. Chapter 5

If Remus dreamt once he fell into Sirius’ arms, he was too exhausted to recall it. Everything was so safe, secure, spiderless and warm. Until it wasn’t. 

Remus felt a tremor, an involuntary chill, wrack his entire body and bolted upright, only to find he was already standing. Caught completely off guard he staggered, almost falling flat on his face, reaching out and only just catching himself on a convenient tree trunk. Warm breath escaped his purpled lips, frosty in the hazy morning light that barely penetrated the fog to discern day from night. After a moment of reflection he brought up his hand, bracing himself, and then slapped his own cheek hard enough to leave a mark. He gasped. The pain felt real. He turned over the bottom of one bare foot and then another, finding them muddied and bloodied by rocks and refuse. That too felt real.

At least there were no giant spider people around. For now.

Slowly he sank down, back against the tree trunk, attempting to both slow his racing heartbeat and quicken his thoughts. Perhaps he could apparate back. Or send a Patronus to Sirius. Or even simply walk. His problems solved themselves with a voice on the wind.

“Remus? Remus, where are you?”

Sirius, though he did sound a bit surreal, muffled by the fog. He should call out, he knew, and yet if this was a dream Sirius might transform into something terrifying. He called out anyway.

“Sirius, I’m here!”

Within moments Sirius was materializing from the fog to kneel by his side.

“What the hell, Remus, are you hurt?” he said, a hand on Remus’ shoulder.

Remus shook his head. “Please tell me this isn’t a dream.”

“I can assure you, I’m very real.”

“And not a spider?”

“Definitely not a spider. Human hands and all, see?” Sirius said, wiggling his fingers and making Remus smile even as his mouth trembled from the cold. 

“Right, well what am I doing out here?” Remus asked, finally finding the will to stand.

“I was hoping you’d answer that one for me,” Sirius said. “You got up this morning then didn’t return to bed. I tracked you here, I couldn’t have been far behind, but you didn’t respond when I called your name.”

“I was sleepwalking then,” Remus said curiously. 

“Is that...normal?” Sirius asked.

“Definitely not. Perhaps when I was a child, but not since then. I wonder where I was going.”

“Did you bring that with you?” Sirius asked, pointing to something at Remus’ bare feet.

“I…” Remus looked as well, noticing something foreign in the organic debris of the forest floor. A white string.

Pulling at it, he saw it was long, so much that he could not pull it to him, and seemed to cover a distance under the leaves and top layer of dirt.

Both men looked to one another curiously. “Should we follow it?” Remus asked first. Sirius nodded, just as curious.

Through the trees they wandered, Remus pulling the string through dirt covered hands, giving one another confused glances every few yards when it would suddenly change direction around a tree trunk or trail through a fallen hallowed log. When the two men were just about to throw up their hands in frustration, Remus pulled at the string only to find it ending between his fingertips, the edge frayed and worn. He glanced up and gasped. The clearing from his dream, complete with boundless string wrapped around a circle of trees, stood before them. But strangely the center of the circle was smooth, solid earth, no gaping hole to be seen.

“Well that’s ominous,” Sirius said, stepping closer and pulling out his wand. He muttered an incantation then shook his head. “There’s something here, but it’s not our magic. It feels older, stranger.”

Remus felt it too. He reached out a hand yet did not touch the circle for fear of breaking something that should not be broken. “I don’t like it.”

“Nor do I,” Sirius echoed. “Perhaps we should ask Pemisapan.”

Remus nodded, walking around the entirety of the ring, noting no breaks, no beginning to the strings, and no ends. A shiver caused him to convulse once before Sirius was at his side, an arm around his frame, the thin nightshirt doing little to support him now that the adrenaline had worn off. He felt Sirius cast a warming charm yet still held him close, something that Remus was all too grateful for.

“Can we go home?” he asked, in a voice that felt very small next to this strange wonder. 

Sirius swallowed and, perhaps sensing Remus was not up to it, cast Disapparate. A moment later they were in his living room.

“I’m going to owl Pemisapan,” Sirius said, and exactly how matter of factly he said it hinted at how worried the man truly was. “Take a bath and warm up.” He muttered a word and Remus felt the humid warmth in the air of hot water that had suddenly filled the bathroom tub. 

“Alright,” Remus said, apparently only operating at a level capable of taking orders.

“I’ll be right back,” Sirius said, pulling Remus in to quickly kiss his temple before he disappeared again in search of an owl.

His limbs stiff and mind strangely blank, Remus attempted to follow his last directive and shucked off his muddied clothes, letting them fall in a very un-Remuslike pile on the floor before stepping into the hot tub. He sighed, simply laying there, his thoughts as murky was the now muddied waters. Strangely all he wanted was for Sirius to come back. He felt so alone and vulnerable, like something had controlled him, led him out to the forest in his sleep to find the string, beckoning him to its alien lare. He felt mentally violated.

Sirius was gone more than a moment though, enough for Remus to think, to regain a small sense of self, enough to sit up in the tub, clean the mud from the water, and attempt to reason things out and gain back some resolve. Something ancient and mysterious needed and wanted him. And he wasn’t about to let it have its way.

When he heard the sound of shoes hitting the living room floor, Remus had all but gained back his composure and resolve, though he wasn’t exactly prepared for Sirius to burst into the bathroom like he owned the place. Which he technically did, yet it was nevertheless a bit of a shock.

Sirius seemed to realize Remus was naked and in his tub, just like he’d asked of course, at about the same moment Remus’ eyes widened, and he stopped and stared in the doorway. The wall to his side became quite intriguing, apparently, as Sirius averted his eyes, a faint blush highlighting his already pronounced cheekbones. Remus was both embarrassed and proud that Sirius still found him attractive enough to blush.

“I...um...sent the owl,” Sirius said to the wall Remus envied as it held the man’s attention that he craved. “And saw the mayor, told him not to let anyone wander into the forest or do anything unwise until we can figure this out.”

“A good call,” Remus said, staring straight at Sirius as he shifted from foot to foot. “Anything else?”

“Do you...want anything else?” Sirius asked, his eyes moving from the wall to the floor near the tub, not quite reaching Remus’ naked body but seemingly unable to keep that away from it.

“Do you?” Remus said quietly, noting how it caused the man to take a deep breath and close his eyes momentarily.

“Look,” Sirius said, suddenly determinedly meeting his eyes. “Of course I do, don’t play dumb. But I’m also worried about you, and know I should probably just walk out this door but I can’t seem to make my legs move or keep my eyes averted and now you’ve got me rambling.” He threw his hands up in frustration before knocking his forehead to the door frame which deserved no such abuse.

Remus smiled and lifted his arm from beneath the water. It was incredibly heartwarming how much Sirius still cared about him after all these years. Teen Sirius would not have thought twice about anything other than his cock, and this emotional maturity was yet another sign of growth that Remus cherished learning about his old friend.

“Come here.”

Sirius seemed to hesitate, his body turning slightly yet his head staying glued to the doorframe.

“Sirius,” Remus coaxed. And while he did understand Sirius’ delema, he was also quite willing to find a distraction within the man’s arms. No harm in that.

With a sigh like Sirius was conceding a losing battle, he finally shifted, feet shuffling once before taking a long stride across the floor to kneel beside the tub. With damp fingertips Remus trailed cooling fingers along Sirius’ neck, causing a slight shudder, before bringing them up to rake through the man’s hair. It was much longer than Sirius had been allowed at Hogwarts, or rather allowed by his overbearing parents, and Remus was almost in awe of how soft and silken it was against his fingertips. He caressed the man’s scalp, cradling his head before bringing Sirius gently in, close, closer, until Sirius seemed to concede his last ounce of strength and met his lips with an almost crushing force.

Remus let out a small gasp of surprise, both amazed at the familiarity of the feeling as well as the complete newness of this man as he adeptly claimed his mouth. Sirius had one hand braced on the tub, the other clasping Remus’ chin, tilting him at the most optimal angle as hunger overtook him. For the first time Remus wondered if perhaps Sirius had missed him, pined after him, as much as he had for the beautiful boy who had stolen his heart.

Within minutes Remus’ lips were feeling thoroughly used but Sirius seemed to only gain momentum. Seemingly forgetting his entire wardrobe, the man rose only to step into the tub, bracing one leg on either side of Remus’ thighs and sinking onto his naked body. Remus gasped, feeling Sirius hard against him, wet fabric doing nothing to hide the rigid outline of his cock. 

“Your...clothes,” Remus gasped as Sirius dove for his neck, nipping, licking and gently biting at the skin beneath his ear in a way that made him shiver. 

“Don’t care,” Sirius replied against his heated skin. Something about the man’s total disregard for everything except getting closer to him made Remus even more excited than before. He could feel himself growing hard, his hips thrusting slightly as he sought friction in the warm water. 

“At least let me see you,” Remus said, pulling the buttons on Sirius’ shirt, ripping the wet fabric to expose a toned chest he had only ever dreamed of since Hogwarts. He slid his hands up and down Sirius’ flat stomach, the divots in his hips, the darkened nipples that perked at his touch. If this was a dream he never wished to awaken.

“Kiss me again,” Sirius commanded and Remus was quick to oblige, realizing he’d never tire of the feel of Sirius’ lips against his own. He shuddered as hands grasped his shoulders, his sides, down his back before firmly taking his arse in hand, thumbs pressing needy indents into his flesh. “Don’t ever stop kissing me.”

There was sadness behind the words, yet Remus’ sex-addled brain did not have the capacity to process them at the moment. Instead he bucked up into Sirius, letting his hands have their way with him, let him measure the man he had become in their decade of abstinence from one another.

Not merely content with his arse, Sirius spread his hand over Remus’ thigh, down the side, then turned inward, thumbs and palm pressing hard, before making their way up the inside, just barely caressing the juncture between groin and leg. Remus gasped, the feeling so close yet so far from his cock, as if every nerve ending was connected there. A moment of toying, amping Remus’ sensations up to full height, watching as his cock head breached the surface of the water as he bucked his hips, seaking more, begging for Sirius to take him in hand. 

That familiar smirk that graced Sirius’ lips, like he knew exactly how much of a tease he was, made Remus absolutely livid yet completely turned on. “Sirius, if you don’t touch me then I will,” he threatened, taking his hand from where it toyed with the man’s nipple down toward his own cock. Sirius looked smug. 

“You wouldn’t.”

“Oh wouldn't I?” Remus replied, grasping himself, tugging once, hard and moaning louder than the sensation actually merited. “Oh yes. Yes!”

He arched his hips, closing his eyes and wondering if Sirius would take offense to how completely unnecessary Remus could render him purely for jealousy sake. When he cracked one eye it was to see a breathless Sirius continuing to smirk down at him. 

“I’m so glad you’re enjoying yourself,” he said, reaching down to unbutton his sodden trousers, slowly, carefully. Remus was entranced, he felt Sirius’ eyes upon him, and his hand stilled upon his own cock as his full attention was demanded elsewhere. “I think I’ll do the same,” Sirius continued. 

With long fingers glistening with bathwater, Sirius opened his fly and reached in, slowly, moaning and arching his neck back as he brought himself out. 

Remus’ memory held a special place for Sirius’ perfect cock. A place of lonely nights in bed, couplings with other men who couldn’t make Remus hard, and even a lover who had thrown him out after he’d screamed Sirius’ name with his eyes closed as he’d imagined that thick length up his ass instead of the other man’s own. 

And yet here it was, in all its glory, and Remus realized his memory had done it a disservice. The man was so thick, long and curved, the crowned head reddened and coated in a mixture of bathwater and milky droplets of cum. Remus’ mouth watered at the sight. 

Then Sirius took it away, grasping it in his own hand for himself, arching his back into his touch as he rocked above Remus, splashing water carelessly over the sides of the tub. 

“I don’t need you to touch me,” Sirius said, eyes still closed as he thrust breathlessly. “All I’ve ever needed is the memory of your mouth on me.”

Remus gasped. He could not believe Sirius meant those words, surely he’d had dozens of lovers, each more adept, more attractive than Remus, in all his travels. Men would be blind not to throw themselves at his feet, to kneel for him in dark alleys, to bend and surrender to that beautiful cock.

“Pretty words for someone who left me,” Remus said, a bit bitter but also curious if there was any truth to Sirius’ proclamation.

Sirius opened his eyes, one hand out to caress Remus’ jaw before touching his lip with his wet thumb. “You have no reason to ever trust me, I know. But trust this. You really are all I’ve ever wanted Remus Lupin.”

“You can’t mean that. I’d have guessed you’d had more than your share of men to fog those memories over.”

“Nothing could make me forget being with you. Our first kiss in 5th year. Our clumsy attempts to get off together yet in our separate beds. Finally giving in and experiencing the newness of sex at seventeen. I regret so much in life, but never you,” Sirius said solemnly.

“Then stop getting yourself off and show me,” Remus said in frustration. Sirius smiled down at him before swooping in for a heated kiss, all hands now, touching, pressing, and finally grasping Remus’ cock and taking it in a tight fist. Remus needed this so badly he could barely breathe. He arched his back, his head hitting the side of the tub but not caring, hips jerking erratically as Sirius finally touched him. 

“Let me do this for you,” Sirius said, the color high in his cheeks, seemingly as aroused by Remus as Remus was of him, a theory that Remus could not seem to understand yet gladly gave himself over to. When Sirius scooted back in the tub and dipped his head, Remus cried out, feeling Sirius’ lips take him in, suck him hard, worship his cock as Remus had once done to him. He’d fantasized about this moment for so long, yet it paled in comparison to the real thing. Sirius was so adept, taking long hard mouthfuls of him, pulling back to tease his slit, one hand freely playing with his tight balls until he felt he might burst from the ungodly amount of pleasure he was experiencing. 

“Sirius! Sirius please!” he begged, hips stuttering as badly as his words, one arm out to anchor himself to the tub, the other miraculously finding itself in that heavenly black hair, stroking and holding Sirius to his cock, needing this dream fulfilled as if his very life depended on it. 

“I can’t last,” Remus gasped, sorry he could not prolong this fulfillment he had craved his entire adult life. His body was bursting to betray him, cock rigid and reddened as Sirius’ lips took it in, a sight he’d never tire of and now filed away for future fantasies for nothing could be so completely erotic. And Sirius watching him, those silvery eyes never left his own, gauging his pleasure, craving it like it was his own. Perhaps it was, Remus realized, as a small portion of his mind took in the fact that Sirius’ hand still grasped himself, stroking his cock in time to his lips sliding over Remus length, taking his pleasure in time to his own.

He watched Sirius watch him, a standoff of need, both letting out small groans of pleasure as they helped one another out in search of fulfillment. 

“I need you so bad,” Remus confessed, pulling at Sirius’ hair. “I’ve wanted this for so so long.”

Sirius smiled around his mouthful before plunging down to take him somehow harder, faster, craving Remus’ cock in his mouth as much as Remus needed it there himself. It was so much sensation, so many years of longing, and ache in his core that had never gone away and only now seemed on the brink of satisfaction from Sirius’ skillful mouth.

He felt Sirius come before himself, a deep reverberation around his cock as the man moaned, his hips thrusting once, hard, his body turned rigid as his seed spilt and mingled in the bathwater around them. It was all Remus needed, all he’d ever wanted to be as adored by Sirius as he had done in return. With a cry Remus’ hips arched out of the water, Sirius’ hands grasping them tight, pulling his cock deep into his throat, taking him in and sucking him dry. He could not count the times he came, his cock bursting over and over as Sirius hungrily drank him down, moaning around his mouthful as if it were the very nectar of the gods he consumed. Finally Remus felt sated, his mouth dry from crying out, his body shaking with adrenaline, and he sank back into the tub. 

“Damn,” Remus said after he caught his breath, reaching up to pull Sirius in until the man rested his head against his chest. Sirius made a humming affirmation before resting there, one hand over Remus’ heart.

“You know,” Remus said after a minute of silence, “You don’t have to say things like that. I would have slept with you anyway.”

Sirius sat up at that, frowning down at Remus, water droplets falling from his skin and glittering in the light.

“That’s not why I said them,” he said softly. “I just didn’t want you to think that I never wanted you. I did, so much, always have.”

“Yeah?” Remus asked, not quite believing him still.

“And always will.”

“Sirius…”

“Stay with me,” the man said hurriedly, his eyes soft yet sad. “Don’t go back.”

“What?” Remus sat up, splashing water all over the already soaked floor. “Sirius I have a life in London. Family, friends.”

“Right, yeah,” Sirius said sheepishly. “I know. I just have always wished you were with me, by my side. I always felt something was missing until now. Since you came to find me.”

Remus could not argue that he did not feel the same, that a huge hole in his heart was inexplicably filled by Sirius’ presence, but this was not the time for dramatic romantic declarations. Though he was sorely tempted.

“Sirius…” Remus started before he was interrupted by a knock on the door.

“Damn it,” Sirius said, grumbling. “Maybe they’ll go away.” They did not, the knocking only growing more frantic.

“Better see what they want,” Remus suggested. Sirius sighed before swooping to give Remus a hurried kiss, stepping out of the tub and casting a drying charm on himself and the discarded shirt he quickly buttoned up.

When Sirius closed the bathroom door behind him, Remus could only hear the faintest murmur of voices beyond. He was just stepping from the tub and grabbing a towel when Sirius opened the door once more, almost throwing him off balance in his frantic need to cover up. Luckily the man was alone. 

“Sorry,” Sirius said, giving him an appreciative stare before picking up the towel Remus had dropped. 

“What was so urgent?”

Sirius shook his head. “Get dressed, we need to get to town. Seems some of the men went into the mine this morning and returned with gold.”

“And that concerns us because?” Remus asked.

“Well as soon as they returned, they all fell asleep.” Remus gave him a look. “And won’t wake up.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I appreciate any feedback!


	6. Chapter 6

“I hate this already.” 

“We haven’t even been gone a minute,” Remus said, his path illuminated along the narrow rocky walls by the faint light the grey sky cast from behind as well as the lantern he carried. Sirius had his wand out now that they were far enough from the entrance, but it seemed to do little to placate his fears.

“Now we have,” Sirius grumbled a half minute later as they plunged into complete darkness.

The mineshaft was cold, a smooth floor but rough rocks lining the sides, jagged if you snagged clothing or scraped skin. The men kept to the middle, pushing past carts filled with small boulders and dirt, seaking whatever it was at the end that had put five perfectly healthy men into a slumber they could not awaken from.

“Should we have called for backup?” Sirius asked, a bit belated. 

Though Remus had sent a Patronus to the Ministry as an update, he was not even sure how to justify allocating an auror or two from their posts. Plus they had taken every possible precaution, warding themselves, adding a shielding charm to prevent any magic from taking effect other than the killing curse.

“Not until we know what we are dealing with,” he replied.

Though the light remained constant, Remus swore it grew darker the further they went, the oppressive cold air almost vice-like in his lungs. The walls narrowed considerably until it was almost impossible for two slender men to walk abreast and Remus worried they may soon have to crawl. Just as he was wondering if they shouldn’t turn around, a faint light showed from ahead. Remus turned to Sirius but the man had seen it too. A faint, flitting figment. 

Sirius lowered his wand but put a hand to his lips, both men treading softly toward the light. Toward the ethereal. Toward the ghost.

When she saw them, the small girl cried out and cowered, such a familiar thing for a child to do that Remus’ heart hurt to witness it.

“Shhh,” he soothed, “It’s alright. We’re here to help.”

She shook her head and pressed against the wall, sinking partially in as her form illuminated the rocks in a bluish glow.

“It’s alright,” Sirius said, crouching down to her level. “Did someone hurt you?”

She took a moment before nodding and pointing farther down the shaft. 

“Was it a bad person?” Remus asked but she shook her head. “A monster? A spider?” he guessed.

“No,” she said, in a small yet defiant voice. “A crow.”

Remus blinked. That was not the answer he was expecting. “Like the people here?” he asked but she glared angrily. “Then like a bird?”

She looked relieved and jumped up from the rocks. “The bird, he was so big. He made it dark first, then they went to sleep. Da then Mum, and Grandpa wasn’t here to save us.”

Sirius shook his head, realizing who the little girl was. Poor Mayor Walter’s granddaughter.

“Is your name Virginia?” Sirius asked, though the girl seemed to grow suspicious and backed up. “It’s alright, we’re friends with your grandfather, he wanted us to help find you.”

“Oh,” she said as if that made it all okay. “Well, I can’t leave. I have to make sure it doesn’t do this again.”

“The crow?” Remus asked and she nodded her little spectral head.

“Yes, though it’s waking up again. Someone took its shiny thing. That’s why it happened last time. Someone took it’s shiny then they all went to sleep and then they disappeared.”

“But you didn’t disappear?” Remus asked.

“No, I was protected,” she said. 

“By who?” Remus asked.

“Not who, what. The spider and his web.”

Remus shuddered. “The spider?”

“Yes,” she said. “I found him, he wanted me to take him out, to spin his web to keep the crow in. But I couldn’t do it, I couldn’t break the circle of strings to let him out. And it got dark and I got lost. Will you help me?”

Remus was near to tears at this brave little girl’s plight to save her town. She would have made a fine wizard but without magic was an even more courageous muggle. 

“Of course we’ll help you. How do we do it?” he asked.

“You have to go to sleep, you can only find the spider’s home there. But you have to be strong enough to break the strings around him and I’m not,” Virginia said, on the verge of ghostly tears.

“Then we’ll help you,” Remus said, holding out his hand which she touched with her ghostly one.

A rumble sounded from farther down, shaking the walls and unearthing stray pebbles and dirt from above. Remus grabbed onto Sirius and ducked over him, though luckily nothing larger fell. 

“Please, it’s waking up!” the girl pleaded. “They took it’s shiny again and it wants it back!”

“Alright,” Sirius said, casting a shielding charm over them just in case more rocks fell. Both men then sank to the floor of the mine, backs against the wall, shoulders together and hands held. “You’ll show us what to do?”

Virginia nodded and took Remus’ hand as much as possible. 

Much more swiftly than he’d ever fallen asleep before, Remus realized he was dreaming. Sirius must have cast a sleeping charm on him, for a moment later the man appeared at his side. They looked at one another and then around, wondering if Virginia would be able to follow them into this dreamworld.

It was the same forest Remus had now seen both in reality and in multiple dreams, though the sky was darker, the clouds running together and spreading like dark wings overhead, almost black as night. 

“Virginia?” Sirius called, and though Remus tried he found he had no voice here in this dream land. Come to think of it he never had been able to speak in his previous dreams either. 

As if summoned, the little girl appeared behind a tree, peaking out like she was playing hide and seek.

“Misters,” she said, “You made it!” She hopped in glee. “Follow me!”

So they wandered behind her floating form, it grew so dark that soon her ethereal glow was the only illumination provided. The forest around them seemed to shudder, the trees shaking though not from any discernible wind, and the air had the stillness of death. When Remus walked he could almost feel a pulsating in the ground, as if it were alive and quaking at whatever rested within its hold, attempting to break free. Branches began to break off, falling overhead, and even once a tree crashed to the ground, directly in their path, only narrowly missing them. Yet, completely oblivious to the destruction, Virginia floated on and on until finally she stopped. 

Remus found the clearing eerier still in the dark, the faint glow the girl cast reflecting off the web of strings around the trees.

“How do we cut them?” Sirius asked, crouching so he was head height with Virginia.

“Don’t you have something?” she asked, and Sirius dug around in his boot only to realize this dream did not allow him to bring his wand into its fantasma. His eyes widened and he took a deep breath. “Remus, it’s all up to you.”

Remus knew his wandless magic would often come in handy, but he never expected it to be so necessary in a dream. Nodding he stepped forward. The same magical presence he’d felt in life radiated from the strings, so strange, ancient and full of binding magic. He strode around the circle, analyzing every inch, every detail, until he felt it. Something there, or something not there. A weak spot, a small break where the strings were fused together. Something he could exploit. Something he could break. 

He beckoned the other two over and pointed and Virginia nodded happily. “Yes yes, cut there! Let him out!”

Remus looked to Sirius who seemed concerned yet gave him a nod, and squeezed his hand once in reassurance. Taking a deep breath, braced for absolutely nothing his brain could fathom, Remus took his right hand, holding it with his thumb to his face, and sliding it downward to slice the air vertically in front of him while concentrating on the word for ‘release.’

The string snapped. And then as if some incredible force grasped and tugged, the strings were pulled from the trees and in an instant had been sucked down the hole, devoured by darkness. The ground shook, the sky blackened somehow further, and Remus knew he’d either done something incredibly brave or incredibly stupid. 

“You did it!” Virginia cried, skipping around the hole just as one gigantic hairy leg arose from the darkness below. It was quickly followed by another, then another, until the giant beast was able to pull itself from its prison, all eight legs, hundred eyes, and gaping mandibled jaw. Remus took a step back, pulling Sirius with him as the creature rose, pulling itself up and then onto the surrounding circle of trees, climbing higher and higher into the heavens. When it was lost to the darkness Remus looked to his companions, eyes wide and fearful as he pondered what could possibly be next. 

Then the shrieks began, somehow both incredibly birdlike and yet unlike any creature Remus had ever heard. Something about it made Remus’ blood freeze, the haunting sound of an animal knowing its fate yet still struggling against the inevitable. Then the feathers began to fall. Black shards, pieces ripped and bloodied, they fell from the heavens in a horrible rain of death. 

Sirius looked around as if wondering what to do but Virginia floated up and held out her hands for their own. “We can go home. It’s safe now. The crow is caught in the spider’s web.”

Grateful to get back to reality, Remus did not hesitate. Within a flash he found himself back in the mine, hand gripped so hard by Sirius he was sure his fingers would be bruised in the light of day. Sirius awoke a moment later before grasping Remus and clinging tightly. 

“Damn that was frightening,” he said into Remus’ shoulder. Remus nodded before remembering he could speak again.

“Are you alright?”

“Me?” Sirius laughed. “Only you would worry about me after you had to save the damn world.”

“Let’s hope that’s what I did,” Remus said, getting to his feet before helping Sirius up. “We’d better get out of here and check. Virginia?” He called but got no answer.

“Virginia?” Sirius echoed but there was nothing, no reply, no ghostly form materializing out of the rocks. “Do you think…”

Remus nodded sadly. “I hope she found peace. She was so brave.”

Sirius looked back forlornly down the corridor. “I wish we could tell her grandfather what she did for them, for all of us.”

Sighing, Remus shook his head. “So do I.”

Hand in hand they walked from the mine, step after step, striding from darkness into bright sunlight. Both men covered their eyes, blinking until they adjusted to the bright light they hadn’t seen for days.

“I guess it’s over,” Sirius said, wonder in his voice. 

“Or it’s a beginning,” Remus replied, taking Sirius’ hand and tracing his thumb over the top.

“Wait, really?” Sirius seemed incredulous yet unable to keep a smile from his perfect lips.

Remus shrugged. “Somehow it doesn’t feel like home if I’m not with you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you everyone who made it this far on this mysterious journey! Hope you enjoyed it!
> 
> Huge thank you again to my beta KL and the amazing Fireside mods, love you all!

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for any comments, I've been in a very low place in my creativity lately so they really mean the world to me!  
> Also thank you again to my incredible beta KattLupin, I really couldn’t have done this without you <3


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